In U.S. Pat. No. 6,012,384 to Badalament, et al. there is disclosed a mobile container for storing perishable goods that ripen exothermically during transit. A refrigeration system is arranged to provide conditioned air to the container where it is combined with the air within a mixing chamber. Fan units are used to direct supply air from the mixing chamber into a pair of supply air plenums that extend down either sidewall of the container. Air penetratable boxes or cartons are stacked in rows along the one side of each plenum so that the supply air in each plenum can be forced through the cartons into heat transfer relationship with the produce that is stored in the cartons. The fan units are adapted to deliver air into the plenums at a high enough rate of flow to provide sufficient pressure to force the supply air through the stacks. The conditioned air that is forced through the stacks is then returned to the mixing chamber through a center aisle that is established between the rows of cartons.
The mobile container described in the Badalament, et al., patent provides an improved method of controlling the temperature of produce and, in particular, ripening produce while the goods are in transit. Although it is important to store perishable goods at a certain temperature during shipping, it is highly desirous when dealing with certain produce, such as bananas, to keep the goods in a dormant state for a period of time and then change the conditions within the container to promote ripening. When the produce reaches a desired state of ripeness, the produce is returned to the dormant state so that the goods are at a desired level of ripeness when they reach their destination.
At present, the industry does not have a mobile container having the versatility to economically cool freshly picked produce to remove “field heat” and to ripen the product under controlled conditions while the product is being shipped to market. Although these tasks can be handled separately in stationary units, the procedures are not only time consuming, but oftentimes fail to quickly remove field heat and produce damage to the goods due to excessive handling.